Tourism Minister Denise Charles says Covid-19 has reinforced the need to provide individuals with the levels of skills training that will enable them to thrive and respond to working online.
Charles was addressing the official launch of the 2nd Work Online Dominica Programme as the representative of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
The goal of this initiative is to teach participants over the course of 12 weeks how to get started working online, finding new sources of income and increasing financial stability.
“Covid-19 has been felt worldwide and even more so on the economies of small island developing states. For islands like Dominica which are heavily dependent on tourism and trade, the recovery process is predicted to be prolonged, “ Charles said. “However, even as we strategize our way out and through the Pandemic the need for online work remains evident.”
Furthermore, she indicated that the pandemic has forced individuals to further embrace technology.
“We saw quite a few businesses transition to offering online shopping experience to customers during the period of the curfew,” the minister stated. “We saw businesses transition their employees to work from home.”
Charles continued, “We saw schools quickly transitioned to online learning platforms, so the objective and timing of Work Online Dominica has created the ideal environment for setting the foundation for innovation and e-commerce.”
Minister for Public Works and the Digital Economy, Senator Cassanni Laville said the programme has been successful.
He said there were 144 applications and 88 interviews with 60 people selected to commence the programme of which 55 graduated successfully.
“And these 55 successful graduates are placed in multinational companies all over the world,” Laville revealed.
He encouraged all successful applicants to take these opportunities very seriously.
Meanwhile, Youth Minister Dr. Adis King said the digital economy doesn’t only allow one to earn an income locally, it allows for providing services all over the world.
“The Work Online Dominica platform was created to guide you, the youth and to train participants on the road map for accessing an alternative pathway of generating income online by leveraging and building your skills,” King said.
She thanked the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IsraAID for partnering with the Government of Dominica to host another Work Online Dominica Cohort 2 and stated that this project is directly aligned with the government’s vision.
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